Mercy
by Gynxy
Summary: Regina and Emma are working hard honing their magic skills. As soon as everything seems to be going well, a new visitor starts everyone scrambling to keep Storybrooke in one piece as a battle of good over evil comes to town. (Note: This is my first attempt at fanfic, I in no way own any characters and hope not infringing any copyright rules)
1. Chapter 1

"You need to FOCUS!" the deep voice of Regina Mills sounded through the empty forest.

"I'm trying! You know you're not making it very easy. If you would just take it slower then maybe I can catch on before you try to kill me" Emma Swan protested a little more whinny then she had intended.

"So you're hoping that when we are attacked in the future that the bad guy will take it easy on you if you whine at him?" Regina mused sarcastically.

"Of course not, all I am saying is maybe we can add difficulty as we go. Can you please just take it easy for a few minutes? I still can't feel my left arm" The exhaustion was evident in her words but also mingled with defiance.

"If you would have listened to me when I told you that your hands and arms would be attacked first to try and prevent you from using magic maybe you wouldn't be in pain right now." Regina replied with a slight smile.

"Fine, let's go again" Emma responded exasperated at the lack of remorse the queen felt for causing pain.

Regina raised her hands and prepared for her attack. Magic training lessons were always a little tedious for Regina. She tried to remember back when she was learning and the mind numbing hours spent with Rumpelstiltskin . She shuttered a little thinking of how he would prowl around her pointing out all of her faults, telling her that she would never be adept to work magic like her mother could. He never offered much praise. She thought a little harder and come to think of it, her father was the only one who seemed to try and build her up rather than tear her down. Thinking of her strict upbringing raised a pang of guilt at her own manner of raising Henry. She vowed to be more aware of her temper in the future. As she was reminiscing and reevaluating a bright white light collided with her stomach, knocking her off of her feet.

"REGINA!" Emma yelled running the 20 or so feet that separated them. Her head was mingled with conflicting thoughts. She was proud herself for disarming her teacher and terrified because she had actually hit Regina right in her midsection. She would pay for that.

A little dazed Regina was already getting to her feet as Emma reached her.

"Oh Regina! Are you alright?" Clearly the struggle between her emotions leaned more to her fear of repercussions that were in store rather than gloating that she had successfully delivered a blow to the queen.

"I'm fine Ms Swan" the irritated tone in which she said "Ms Swan" told Emma that she was indeed in trouble.

"I swear I didn't mean to hit you that hard, I was trying to block your attack…" Emma trailed off seeing Regina's face made her fear saying the wrong thing and making the situation worse.

"I assure you, I am not a fragile as you may like to think Emma" Regina's tone was even and emotionless. She was brushing debris from her starched black pants and eyeing a small grass stain on the sleeve of her white blouse. "Who wears white in the woods" she thought, mad at herself for making this mistake.

"I know you're not!" said Emma, now attempting to help Regina clear herself of the forest that now clung to her pantsuit.

Regina was not entirely mad at Emma for the hit. It was her fault for letting her mind slip somewhere else instead of concentrating on her current task. She was not one to allow herself to not be focused. "I would have corrected Henry for a mistake like that" she thought bitterly reminding herself that she was defiantly going to work harder on praise rather than chastising.

"It's fine Ms Swan" she said swatting Emma's hands away and straightening her shirt. "Your attack was strong and well placed" admitting this to Emma caused a slight pang of irritation. "But you cannot expect your enemy to drop their focus in a real fight" admitting to Emma that she was not focused at the time of the hit made her feel as if she was justifying why she was able to get a hit in. She hoped it did not sound like she was making excuses as to why she was hit in the first place.

"I'll try to take it easier on you next time" Emma mused with her eyebrow raised "You know Regina, an enemy isn't going to take it easy on you if you whine at him…" Her last sentence trailed off as she saw Regina's expression change. It was never a good sign when you could see the queen's teeth clench and her face become stone when she stared at you. "I'm kidding Regina! Calm down"

With that Regina's lips broke into the slightest smile, which then turned into a full blown laugh. It felt weird for her to actually be enjoying her time with Ms Swan. Their relationship had never been this cordial. In fact, their first impressions of each other made it seem like they would be mortal enemies forever. While there were still some moments when "The Evil Queen" would make her appearance, Regina was happy that she hardly ever stayed long enough to damage her new found friendships in Storybrooke. As much as she hated to admit it, she enjoyed spending time with Emma. She even enjoyed herself with the entire Charming family. Even though the way Mary Margaret and David stared at each other still made her want to throw up.

Emma was a little taken back at the laughter that had broken out from the queen and she stared at her with mingled surprise and fear. Regina seeing the look on Emma's face made her laugh even harder. Finally regaining her ever regal composure she squared off with Emma.

"You are extremely powerful Emma. White magic is hard to over power. You need to learn to attack with your heart and not your brain. You need to feel it."

"I think you just felt it Regina." Emma said defiant. She was a little irritated that she disarmed Regina and was now being told she was still not up to par.

Sensing the anger and hurt in Emma's voice made the queen stop for a second. "I do sound like my mother" she thought sadly and instead decided that she would approach the situation differently.

"I did indeed feel the attack Ms Swan, however, you are more powerful then I am. You should have been able to not only knock me down but also cause some damage to me"

The expression on Emma's face changed suddenly from anger to fear.

"Why would you let me hit you or come anywhere near you with my magic if I could hurt you Regina?" the fear in her voice was sincere. "Henry would never forgive me! Why would you risk actually being hurt? You know I can't control my magic! What if I really hurt you?"

Regina paused at this thought. It was true, Emma could truly hurt her if she really honed her powers. She was trying to find a way to word it so it would not sound as though she was being condescending.

"You think about producing your magic, rather than feel it Emma. You need to feel it, not just throw your hands out and hope for the best" Regina said trying her best to deliver the advice without sounding as though she was belittling her. The look on Emma's face told her that she was not achieving the desired tone. Changing her tactic, she drew out her hand and made a red "X" on a tree about 40 feet in front of them. Then, positioned herself behind the blonde and placed one hand on her shoulder and the other on her abdomen. The sudden contact with the queen confused Emma she wondered what fresh new hell Regina had in store for her. Rather than question her motives Emma stared straight ahead and allowed her teacher to instruct her.

"Listen to my voice Ms Swan." Regina said over Emma's shoulder. She was so close to her face. Emma could feel Regina pressing against her. This did not frighten Emma. Instead the feelings now coursing through her at the moment were bizarre. The contact that was being made offered a strange new encounter with the queen that she had never felt before. It was warm and comforting. Emma gave her head a little shake as Regina continued.

"Do you see that "X" right there?"

"Yes" replied Emma. Her own voice sounded strange to her. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears as Regina's breath traveled across it. "What in the hell is happening right now?" she thought.

"That "X" down there has taken our son Ms Swan. He is going to hurt Henry."

As soon as Regina said "Henry" Emma was once again focused. Her son was her life. She would die for him in a minute. Emma could feel Regina's hand pressing her abdomen a little harder.

"Do you feel that there?" Regina asked indicating the place where her hand was now sitting. "That fluttering you can feel is your magic. Let it rise up."

Emma did as she instructed. She pictured Henry needing her to rescue him. She knew she had to draw herself up. She also knew that she did not want this training session to end. The contact with Regina was so hard to explain. It was a completely innocent exchange between them, but the feeling was unlike anything she had ever felt. She was not sure if the sensation in her stomach was just her magic. Shaking her head she tried to focus on the task. But the voice was back in her ear, and a tremble escaped her before she had a chance to stop it. This new caring side of Regina was both sweet and alarming at the same time.

"Let your magic flow through you. Henry needs you Emma. He needs you to rescue him. Lift up your hands. Concentrate on the "X" feel it." Regina's hand was pressing harder on her stomach now. Her hand was gripping Emma's shoulder more tightly. Emma closed her eyes. Trying to focus all of her energy, she felt the magic rise.

"Can you feel it" Regina asked, once again steadying Emma and bracing herself for the impact of the spell she was hoping Emma was going to be able to produce.

"I think so, I don't know." Emma confessed a little defeated. More pressure on her shoulder now. And Emma's hands began to shake.

"Lift your arms Ms. Swan. Aim at the "X" save our son." Regina's even tone was just above a whisper. Raising her arms, Emma focused with all of her energy. Her eyes squinted at the fiery cross.

"NOW!" Regina's sudden change of voice startled Emma and achieved the desired result. A white ball of light shot out of Emma's outstretched hands and hit the tree with such force it was reduced to shambles raining debris all over the forest around them. They were both thrown backward. Regina hit the ground first with Emma landing on top of her a split second after. Emma's legs were shaking as she hurriedly tried to regain her balance. She got to her knees and braced herself on the ground heaving. The air had been knocked out of her. Regina who also looked a little worse for wear was also regaining her balance.

"Did you feel it that time?" The queen asked a little breathlessly. Her ribs ached for having met the ground for a second time in the space of five minutes.

"Yes, I think that I felt it that time." Emma sighed with a painful laugh as she clutched her chest trying to heave air back into her lungs.

"I think that was enough practice for today Ms Swan."

"Yea, let's call it a day" With their agreement on ending their training session Regina placed her hand on Emma's arm and with a puff of purple smoke, transported them to the Mayor's house.

"Would you like to come in and clean up?" Regina asked noting how worse for wear Emma looked. The toll that using powerful magic was exhausting, she knew that Emma would need to rest after using so much strength. "I don't have any clothes like the ones you prefer to wear but I am sure I can find something suitable to get you home" Regina said.

Emma looked at her with mingled exhaustion and sarcasm. The attack on her clothing choices did not go unnoticed. Emma looked down at her outfit and saw that she had ripped her favorite jeans and her shirt was defiantly going to need a wash or two.

"No, thank you" Emma said still trying to make her lungs work at full capacity. "I'm just going to head home. Thanks' for the lesson." She said wincing a little rubbing her side. She had to get home. She had to think about what just happened. I was not the impact of how truly powerful she was. It was so much more. She was proud of how she had reduced the tree to toothpicks. Scared that she possessed that kind of magic and confused as to why she reacted the way she did to Regina's touch. There was too much to process right now and standing here in the Mayor's front yard was not the place to do it. Turning gingerly Emma headed for her yellow bug parked in the driveway of the impeccably pristine house. The engine turned over with a rumble and she was backing out of the driveway. Regina turned and walked through her front door heading for a hot shower and a glass of wine.

"I'm getting to old for this" Regina thought as she removed her battered clothes and tossed them in the clothes hamper in the bathroom. She examined the blouse trying to decide if it was even worth attempting to try and clean and examined herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, makeup smudged and there were scratches all up and down her arms. Healing her cuts was easy but the ache from hitting the ground twice that day was going to take some time. Instead of turning on the shower she drew a bath and poured a small amount of a pink potion into the swirling bubbles. The water was hot and she carefully lowered herself into the steaming water and sighed deeply as her skin turned red with the contact. Resting her head on the back of the tub she closed her eyes and allowed herself to smile with the amount of progress Emma had made today with her magic.

Not far away Emma Swan was also preparing a hot bath to rest her aching muscles in. The water felt so soothing as climbed in allowing the water to completely encase her. When she laid her head back on the tub however she was not thinking about her magic. She could only think about… Regina's hand on her shoulder…. Her hand on her abdomen. .. Her breath on her ear… the strange floating sensation in her stomach mixed with excitement and desire. Even though it was impossible, Emma chastised herself for thinking about these things, like someone was listening inside her head. She closed her eyes tight, took a deep breath and completely submerged herself in the water. It was a few seconds before she came back up wiping water and hair out of her eyes. She laid there for a long while trying to make sense of her feelings. Wringing out her hair, she tossed her wet towel over the drying rack and threw on clean clothes. "I need a drink" she said to her reflection in the mirror.


	2. Chapter 2

Invisible hands were closing around her throat. Thrashing and clawing at her neck, Emma eyes filled with terror as she was lifted off the ground by an unseen force.

"This will be the last time you cross me Ms Swan." The queen's voice rang through the halls of the small jail where Emma was Sherriff. "Henry is mine, this town is mine and you will never again saunter through Storybrooke. Your time here has come to an end." And with that Regina threw her head back and laughed maliciously.

Waking suddenly Emma's heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest. The bedding was torn from the corners of the bed leaving her on half of a bare mattress with sweat beading across her forehead. It took her several long seconds before she could comprehend where she was. Still trying to slow her heart and stop her shaking hands she reached for her cell phone to see what time it was. The light from her phone caused her to squint as she registered it was only 5:45am. Putting the phone back on the nightstand, she rolled over and tried to shut her eyes. It was no good. She was already awake and was not going to be able to fall back to sleep. The dream was already slipping from her brain. Trying to recall what happened in it was getting harder by the second until it was gone completely and she gave up trying to remember. Reluctantly she tossed off what was left of the sheets and walked to the bathroom. Splashing water on her face she looked at the reflection staring back at her. Could it be possible that her feelings went beyond friendship for Regina? Emma was not sure if it was real or not, but she did know that at the moment, the queen was the only person she could think of. She decided that the mayor's office was going to be her first stop of the morning. She had to get close to her again just to see if her imagination was just getting the better of her. Across the town, Regina Mills awoke suddenly.

It was not a dream that caused Regina to sit up in bed and glance at the alarm clock next to her. The LED lights of the display indicated that it was nearly 6:00am. Resigned to a long day, she crawled out from under the sheets, neatly made the bed being sure to smooth out all of the ripples in the black and white fabric. Walking into the bathroom she passed her reflection and raised her hand absent mindedly pushing her hair behind her ears. The satin night gown she wore was slightly more sexy then one would assume a queen would wear, what would the neighbors say if she had to flee her home in the dead of night left only in her nighty and a sheer robe? This thought brought a smile to Regina's face. She may have had to put on a good front of a true lady to the town folk, but in her own bedroom she could be a little bit of a tease. Even with no one sharing her bed she still liked the thought of being a little risqué. Walking to her perfectly arranged closet, she chose a simple black pencil skirt and a purple lace tanktop to go under her suit jacket. With her hair done, makeup perfect and perfume on, she went to Henry's room to get him ready for school.

Emma looked at her cell again and saw that it was finally 7:30am. She grabbed her red leather coat, threw it on and headed for the door. A voice behind her made her pause.

"Well aren't you the early bird this morning!" Turning on the spot Emma was greeted by a warm smile to her mother, Mary Margaret.

"Yea, couldn't sleep. Going to try and get some paperwork done. I made some coffee, it should still be warm." Emma indicated the coffee pot with a flick of her head.

"Oh coffee sounds great!" Mary Margaret headed for the kitchen. "So how did magic lessons go?" Mary Margaret asked reaching for her favorite mug.

"It was good, really good actually. I um.. knocked Regina down once" Emma mused laughing slightly.

"I bet that went over well." Her mother said with a sarcastic tone.

"Better than I thought it would. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this magic stuff though. I'm starting to scare myself a little." Emma confessed.

"Why would you be afraid of it? Regina is teaching you how to control it isn't she?"

Emma went on to tell Mary Margaret all about the tree and the effect her magic had on reducing it to shambles. She left out the part of Regina's touch causing her to get a little flustered. Her mother was very open minded, but confessing that she had a moment of lust for the woman who tried to kill her mother on countless occasions may not be the best breakfast time chat.

"Yea, well, we will see" Emma said rising from the table. "I'm going to get going, I'll see you later."

"See you later!" Mary Margaret said in her sing song voice.

Once she had made it to her bug, she turned the key and backed out on to the road. Not sure exactly what she was going to say to Regina, Emma began to get nervous about the encounter that would soon take place. "I need to stop at Granny's and get some coffee" she thought. "This will give her time to get in her office." Turning the corner she parked her bug and got out.

Being so early in the morning a sleepy Ruby yawned as she bagged up the two blueberry muffins and added plastic lids to the two coffees.

"Thanks Ruby" Emma said handing the money to her as she gathered up her purchases.

A nod was all that Ruby could muster and she yawned again as Emma turned and left the building. Getting into her bug she carefully placed the hot coffee in the cup holders, the bag of muffins on the seat next to her and took a deep breath. "Let's go" she said with a sigh and headed to Regina's office.

A light on in her office, told Emma that Regina was already hard at work running the town. This made her heart rate accelerate with both excitement and dread. "What am I going to say to her?" she wondered as she carefully balanced the coffee cups in her hand and reached for the muffins. Closing the door with her foot, she walked into the building.

"Ms Swan, this is an early meeting, is everything alright?" Regina asked. The sheriff coming to her office so early in the morning had to indicate that there was a problem somewhere in the town.

"Oh, hey, yea, everything is fine. I just wanted to bring you some coffee and apologize for hitting you with a spell yesterday" Emma's voice was even and she indicated her remorse turning up the corner of her mouth.

"I assure you Emma, I am fine. I am a lot tougher then I look." Regina smiled and walked over to help ease the burden of the cups. As she reached for the one nearest her, her hand brushed the back of Emma's. The moment that their skin touched, Emma felt the familiar tumble of her stomach as it seemed to leap into her throat. The reaction did not go unnoticed by the queen.

"Are you alright Ms Swan?" Regina asked and there was actual concern on her face.

"Oh, um, yea, everything is..." Emma blundered her words, completely at a loss as of what to say.

"Emma, what is it?" Regina began to sense the distress Emma was in and stepped closer to her putting her hand on her wrist.

"I just…Regina, I don't know what is happening to me." She said shaking her head trying to form a rational sentence. The close proximity of Regina was making it even harder to think.

"I think that we have been through enough situations together that you can feel comfortable enough to at least look at me when you're speaking." Regina's tone was not condescending; she was concerned at what in the world could be making Emma Swan, a girl who has never had a problem speaking her mind turn into a stammering idiot.

With her head still pointing at the impeccably clean floor, Emma opened her mouth just as bright red light lit up the morning sky. Both women stopped and turned to the window. The beam seemed to reach well past the sky and into the universes above, the bottom of it, ended right in the middle of the forest very near the spot where Emma and Regina had their lessons.

"What in the hell is that?!" Emma said staring in complete shock.

"It's a portal…" Regina replied, her voice was far away. It was evident she was trying to decide if what she was seeing was real.

"We need to get there now! Who knows who that is!" Emma replied. Fear was beginning to creep up into her voice. It was never good when a new guest ported into their town. Usually it was a battle to the death situation.

"Give me your hand" Regina replied flatly not taking her eyes off of the beam. In a cloud of purple smoke, they were gone.


	3. Chapter 3

The forest was quiet. The last of the red smoke was dissipating as Regina and Emma appeared. They were almost in the exact spot they were in yesterday, Emma noted with a pang of excitement. But now was not the time to think about that. There was someone or something here in Storybrooke. The question of was what did they want?

"They have to be somewhere in here" Regina whispered. Her hands were already in position to deliver a fireball if necessary. "Be ready Emma, remember what we went over yesterday. If I give you the word, you fire with everything you have. Do not hold back. We need to control this situation."

Emma nodded. It seemed like her voice decided to stay back in the mayor's office. The silence was deafening. Their eyes scanned the trees for any signs that someone was there. Back to back now they squinted through the fog trying to make out any foreign shapes.

It was Regina who spotted it first. The figure was in a red cloak. "Emma" she whispered. "Here."

Emma turned her head quickly and caught site of the intruder. "How many are there? Can you tell?" Emma asked finally finding her voice.

"I think it's just the one." Regina narrowed her eyes and began walking toward the cloaked figure.

"Are you crazy?!" Emma stammered grabbing the queen's arm "We don't know who that is! You are NOT walking over to them."

"And what would you like to do Ms Swan, stand here and stare for a while?" Regina hissed, pulling her arm out of Emma's grasp. "This is MY town, and I will be damned if someone is here to cause chaos." Regina said pulling herself up to her full height. With a sigh and a quick look over her shoulder, Emma followed as Regina marched confidently into the path of the newcomer.

"Who are you and what the hell do you think you're doing here?" Regina's voice boomed at the stranger. She had snapped into her aggressive leader role and was not intending to back down to anyone. As they got closer to the figure, it raised its hands and lowered the hood that was covering its face.

A beautiful raven haired woman stood in the clearing. Her piercing brown eyes so dark they could easily be mistaken for black. Emma began to slow down but Regina seemed to get alarmed at the site of the girl and raised her hands and lit a fireball.

"Regina! What in the hell are you doing?" Emma gasped aware that the situation went from bad to worse in the space of a few seconds. "She hasn't even said anything? You want to tone down the magic for a minute?"

"She's from Wonderland" Regina said through gritted teeth. "She is wearing the mark of the red queen."

Sure enough when Emma looked closer, around the neck of the stranger was a thin gold necklace. A charm hung bearing a red heart with a gold crown surrounding the middle.

"Your mother…." Emma responded, a little breathless as the realization dawned on her.

"My mother." Regina replied with the crooked smile she reserved for those about to meet her wrath.

The girl looked from Regina to Emma for a moment in stunned silence.

"You are Cora's daughter?" she asked untying the red traveling cloak revealing her tight red leather pants and flowing white blouse.

"I am. What business do you have here in Storybrooke?" Regina asked without blinking. Emma was not sure how serious the situation was, but the look on Regina's face told her that she needed to be ready to fight her way out of this situation.

"You're Regina…Regina Mills?" the woman asked. There was nothing threatening in her tone. If anything, there seemed to be an awestruck voice behind her question.

"Yes." Regina's voice was so sharp it could have easily sliced anyone in its path. Emma was beginning to worry for the safety of their new visitor. Regina was quickly turning into "The Evil Queen" and when she showed up, everyone needed to run for cover.

"Please Regina, I am not here to cause any trouble. I need to talk with Cora. It took everything I have in order to find a way here. Please, it is very important that I speak with her immediately." The woman pleaded now taking her cloak completely off and slinging it over her arm. It was very clear that she was in distress.

"Cora is dead. You wasted your time coming here." Regina responded acidly.

"No, no she can't be" the woman began to shake. Her cloak dropped to the ground and soon she followed. From her knees she looked up in the faces of Regina and Emma who had now moved even closer. "Regina, if it is true that Cora is gone, you and I need to talk."

"I'm standing right here. What business do you have with Cora." The Evil Queen was in full swing as she squared off with the woman.

"I need you to sit down. Please trust me. I know you have no reason too, but I need you to sit in front of me" There was a pleading in her voice that one usually reserved for an occasion where life or death was the subject of conversation. "Please, you will understand very shortly as to why I am here."

Emma grabbed Regina's arm as her knees began to bend. Regina had not taken her eyes off the raven haired woman's yet. Emma was not even sure she had blinked since she first set eyes on her.

"Are you crazy Regina!?" Emma asked. Alarm bells were ringing in her head and all she could do was try to stop Regina from listening to this stranger.

"Ms Swan, I assure you, I will be fine." Regina suddenly had a strange look to her face. It seemed as if the woman had cast a spell on her. Sensing defeat, Emma let go of Regina's arm and watched her kneel down in the grass.

Everything seemed to freeze as the woman locked eyes with Regina. Slowly she raised her hands and placed them squarely on the queen's shoulders then closed her eyes.

Regina gave a small gasp which caused Emma to reach out to grab her, to pull her back. As she got close to coming in contact with Regina a small blue spark shot her hand away. Fear was beginning to encompass her as she realized that whatever was happening, it was too late to stop.

"Why are you showing me…." Regina's voice sounded far away.

Another gasp. Regina's hands flew to her mouth in shock. "WHY ARE YOU…" another deep breath. "Cora…." Silence.

All Emma could do was watch in horror as whatever was happening to Regina was truly taking a toll on her. It seemed like years had passed. Both women kneeling in the woods locked in some kind of trance. Small sounds escaped Regina's mouth as tears began streaming down her face. The tears becoming sobs and her hands fidgeting uneasy as her eyes rolled back into her head. Finally the stranger released her hands and Regina collapsed to the ground. A frantic Emma dropped to her knees and grabbed the queen lifting her up by the shoulders to see her face.

"REGINA!" Emma screamed, full blown panic now engulfed her. She lifted the tear stained face to meet hers. "Regina, what is it?"

"Your mother Emma, go get your mother. Tell her it is an emergency and to meet me at my vault. Tell ONLY Mary Margaret. Hurry" Regina replied, hiccupping from her recent crying fit.

"Regina! I am NOT leaving you alone with her, I don't know what is going on but someone needs to start talking!" Anger was raising up inside of her. She had no clue what the stranger had done or shown Regina but Emma had decided, it was nothing good.

"I'm fine Emma, go now, I'll see you at my vault." With that, a trembling Regina got to her feet, reached a hand out to the raven haired woman and wrapped her arms around her, crying unabashedly on her shoulder. And with a puff of purple smoke, they were gone.

"SERIOUSLY?!" Emma's voice rang out in the now deserted forest. "You couldn't have taken me back to town?!" Exasperated at this point Emma turned and ran full tilt toward town.


	4. Chapter 4

It took a little over thirty five minutes for Emma to get back to her WV Bug. Thanks to her cell phone and an emergency call to the school, Mary Margaret was waiting next to the car. A look of sheer panic was on her face as she saw Emma running to the parking lot.

"What Emma? What's wrong?" her mother asked running the last few yards to meet her daughter.

"I don't know!" and Emma explained about the portal, the woman and the state Regina was in when they left.

"We need to get there now." Mary Margaret said as they were flying down the street.

Against her better judgment Emma did not call her father or anyone else in the town. Regina had said to only tell Mary Margaret. Dread began ebbing at her as she thought about the person responsible for Cora's death. The person, who had rid the world of that vile woman, was none other than Snow White, Mary Margaret herself. Praying this was not some sort of a trap, Emma pressed the accelerator.

"Mary Margaret!" Regina sounded relieved at the site of her. Another odd reaction Emma thought. Regina was cordial to her mother, but their relationship was defiantly not one of excitement to see each other. The queen's faces was still stained with tears, more were rolling down her cheeks as she grabbed Mary Margaret's arms and lead her inside the crypt. Fighting the urge to grab both women and hurl them back into the car was overwhelming for Emma, but against her better judgment, she followed silently into room lit with only candles.

"I need you to trust me Snow." Regina said. It was so odd hearing her mother referred to as Snow by someone other than her father. The manner in which Regina addressed Mary Margaret only added to her sense of foreboding in Emma's mind.

"What is it Regina?" Mary Margaret asked. It was just like her mother to be concerned with others before her own safety Emma thought as she watched them walk arm in arm over to the woman who has so far reduced one of the strongest women she had ever met into a sobbing mess.

The ritual was the same with Mary Margaret. Gasps, sobs and disbelief on her face mirrored Regina's as Snow White got back to her feet and grabbed the stranger around the neck pulling her into a bone breaking hug. When she let her go, Mary Margaret turned to Regina, and did the same to her. Both women dissolved into tears.

"WOULD SOMEONE LIKE TO TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" She did not mean to scream, did not mean to be so aggressive, but the fact of the matter was, something was happening to these women and she surely did not appreciate being left in the dark.

Regina walked over to Emma, and in a shaking voice said, "Ms Swan, I would like you to meet Rose, Rose Red. She is my daughter."

"Your daughter?! How is that even possible?" Emma stood in stunned silence.

Regina was still trying to regain her composure waved a hand to Rose.

"Show her." She said calmly.

"No! Regina! Think for a minute! There is no way this is your daughter. You took a potion to make sure you would never have children! You and I both know this is impossible!" Emma tried her best to keep her voice even, but being the only person thinking rationally at the moment she could not allow herself to also be tricked by this person.

"You are right. I did in fact take the potion that would render me barren. It is a decision I have regretted since. What you do not know, is this person standing in front of you, is the reason I took it." Regina sounded defeated. She had still not regained her composure since her shocking experience,

"Emma," Mary Margaret's voice came from over her shoulder "You need to believe what is happening right now. Trust us."

With a glance at both Mary Margaret and Regina, she turned her wide eyes to the woman now known as Rose. With a nod from Regina, Rose walked over to Emma. Both women sat down on the ground. As Rose laid her hands on Emma's shoulders a weird sensation began in the back of her head and a fog swirled in front of her eyes.

*fog*

Rumpelstiltskin standing in front of a younger Regina: "I have already told you the cost of this spell will be your first born Your Majesty."

*fog*

Regina in her bedroom with hands on her swollen belly pleading with Rumple: "Listen, I KNOW what I said Rumple. The situation has changed. We need to come up with a different arrangement."

A laugh from Rumpelstiltskin echo's in the large room as a figure moves unnoticed inside the large mirror behind him.

*fog*

Regina in her large bed, in labor as several nurses and doctors gather around.  
"Push Your Majesty, You're almost there!" A nurse coaches encouragingly.

*fog*

A nurse walks away with a tiny baby wrapped in a white cloth, her hand moves fast to the baby's mouth and the infant stills instantly.

"I'm so very sorry Your Majesty, she has slipped away…"

*fog*

Regina stands stone faced as a tiny body is placed in a small tomb. Thousands of people watch as the infant is laid to rest.

*fog*

The crowd at the funeral is gone. Regina lays across the small box containing her beautiful first born, her tears stream down making a trail of sorrow across the crypt.

*fog*

The nurse from the time of the delivery walks to the tomb carrying a bouquet of flowers. Looking around she waves her hand, her facial details begin to change, and the white cloak pulls to her hips changing to a deep red finally revealing the unmistakable Cora. She waves her hand a second time and the top of the tomb rises revealing a beautifully dressed baby girl. She reached down lifting the baby delicately and places her fingers in the infant's mouth. The baby stirs beginning to cry. A puff of purple smoke and they vanish.

*fog*

A toddler child with raven hair runs through a maze chasing a small dog.

*fog*

A young girl reading in a garden.

*fog*

A teenager practicing magic with Cora.

*fog*

Cora hugging the now grown Rose Red.

"I will be back soon sweet heart. I am going to help your mother rid the world of that horrid Rumpelstiltskin and soon, you will be reunited. I love you."

*fog*

Shaking slightly Emma reopens her eyes seeing all three women starring at her. At a loss as to what to say next slowly she begins to regain her rational thought process.

"Alright, ok, just give me a minute" Emma sighed shaking her head a little. "How can you have these memories Rose, you weren't even born in half of them." Emma applauded herself a little for this discovery. Obviously Regina and Mary Margaret were too shaken to notice the obvious flaw in her mysterious visions.

Rose opened her mouth to speak but it was Regina who answered first.

"Because they are not her memories…" she trailed off "They are Cora's…"

"Regina, I know you want to believe this, but come on! This story is just too farfetched. You need to take a moment and think about this."

"Emma, there is a reason that Rumpelstiltskin wanted me for his own." Rose had a steady voice with an ebb of sympathy for the current situation. "He is the dark one. He craves power. His entire life is dedicated to gaining more power and destroying those that could harm him."

"That isn't a revelation! We all know how Gold is." Emma was dismissive. The reputation of the infamous Rumpelstiltskin was known throughout all of the realms. It was a known fact that Cora and Gold were extremely close once upon a time.

"I'm not like everyone else Emma." She turned to Regina with a sympathetic look before continuing. "You were born of true love. You have powers because love is an extremely powerful natural magic. I was born to the Evil Queen. A person who's heart was filled with hate and revenge. But her love for me was real, and true. Rumpelstiltskin knew something my mother didn't. That because of the strange circumstances of my conception my father Daniel and my mother Regina created a life from true love. While my mother carried me, my father was killed turning her heart dark. While her actions with magic washed over me while inside her, I was turned into something no one other then the dark one and Cora realized. "Rose paused there for a minute to give her mother a chance to digest the information she had just revealed to both Emma and Mary Margaret.

"Everyone assumed you were my father's child since Daniel's death and Regina's marriage to Leopold was so close…" Mary Margaret whispered. This observation spoken accidently out loud as realization dawned on her. She turned and looked at Regina, who was not looking at anyone but Rose. Her eyes were locked on the woman.

Continuing her story Rose turned back to Emma. "My mother is extremely powerful. She posses' magic that many dream of. I was completely encompassed in that magic. It flowed through my veins while I was inside of her. It created something that could be very important to most and dangerous to some."

Emma was beginning to get impatient with the slow explanation of the situation. "Okay… so assuming you are Regina's daughter and the product of true love, hate and God knows what else, why did Cora fake your death? It just doesn't add up." Emma's desire for the truth made her sound close to a whinny brat at the moment, but it seemed to peak Mary Margaret's interest.

"Regina, your mother never told you Rose was alive? Why would she let you live with that loss? Most of us thought you would not survive…" Mary Margaret trailed off realizing she may be overstepping.

"No, she never told me." The statement was short and to the point. Discussing her mother was never something Regina looked forward to.

"She didn't tell you because it was too dangerous. You had made a deal with the Dark One to hand me over to him once I was born. Cora couldn't let that happen. She knew what I was the moment he had made the deal with you." She was speaking directly to Regina. It was clear that the girl had love for Cora. It was an odd revelation. Emma was sure that there was no one who actually enjoyed Cora's company. From the stories that Regina had told her, the woman was as close to a homicidal maniac as they come. Her desire for power ranked right up with Gold's as a matter of fact.

"I doubt that Regina would hand you over to Gold, Rose" Emma said sarcastically.

"She wouldn't have had a choice. Even if Regina used every magic spell she knew, the Dark One would find me, take me and more than likely kill me. It was never even a real deal in the first place, his plans were to own me one way or the other. By making me a bargaining tool, he insured that he would convince my mother that the spells he was supplying her with would give her the revenge she craved more than anything. He needed to keep her in a state of rage; it would ensure I was more powerful."

As much as Emma did not want to admit it, everything was beginning to make sense. Yes the story was beyond bizarre but the pieces were fitting too snuggly together to not have some sort of truth to them.

"If Gold was determined to have you Rose, then how was Cora was able to hide you away. If everything you are saying is true then Gold would have known you had survived." Emma applauded herself a little for this revelation.

"Trust me, it was not easy. She had very little time to collect information on ways to hide me, how to trick the Dark One into thinking I had died at birth. He is able to see the future, well different possibilities of the future. Cora had to create ideas that I would parish at birth so that when she actually faked my death, he would believe it had come to pass. In the reality that she was able to create I was simply a tiny infant that failed to thrive, a casualty of my mother's brutal actions who possessed no magical properties." Rose took a deep breath and continued. "The plan almost didn't come to pass. Cora was watching the way that Regina's heart broke over my tomb. In that moment of weakness she almost threw away all of her hard work and reveal to her that I was alive. Thinking quickly she decided that my best chance of survival was to let my mother think I was truly gone." Her hand rested on top of Regina's and they both had a moment of silence to mourn the time they had never been able to spend together.

"I still don't understand why Cora would go through all of this. I'm sorry, please don't misunderstand but I have seen Cora kill more people in one day then a natural disaster." Emma made this comment before thinking it through and looked apologetically at Regina. "I mean, I only meant…" But Rose cut her off sensing Emma's distress.

"She saved me because I am "The Light One"." Her statement was short and simple. She looked at her mother the Queen who smiled weakly back at Rose.

"The Light One… ok, so you are what? The opposite of Gold?" Emma asked.

"I possess white magic, very similar to yours Emma. I am just more powerful. My existence is a threat to those that work in only evil. Cora and I had trouble training because her magic had no affect on me. The Dark One however can deliver strong enough spells to cause damage to me. The Dark One craves my magic. If he were able to capture me he could absorb my magic, it would make him the most powerful person in the world. It is far easier to turn light magic to dark, rather than dark magic to light. My life was not saved because I was loved as a person, I was saved because I could be a valuable weapon or shield…" Rose trailed off at this revelation. Emma felt an overwhelming urge to wrap her arms around her; she knew what it was like to feel as if you did not matter as a person. She had grown up believing that she had no real family to speak of.

"I loved you your entire life." Regina's voice was shaking, "I would have loved you with or without magic. No matter what Cora told you, I wanted to be your mother Rose."

Seeing Regina in this state felt strange and intrusive. Emma felt like she was spying on a private moment that should have only been between Regina and Rose. She wanted so badly to disappear at that moment and return once the reunion was over.

"Regina, I think Mary Margaret and I should give you some time with Rose. Why don't you guys talk and we will pick up Henry. Take all the time you need." Emma turned to leave when Regina grabbed her arm.

"Emma, there is no time for reunions and reminiscing right now. Have you missed the entire point of Rose' story?" Regina was regaining her composure by the second.

"I just thought…" Emma trailed off as Regina started speaking.

"We need to figure out how to hide Rose. Gold will be looking for whoever ported in. We don't have time to waste." Regina was beginning to panic as the realization of her own statement washed over her.

"It's a little late for that deary" The voice was high and full of excitement. Turning on the spot the four women came face to face with no one other then Rumpelstiltskin himself.

Emma, Regina and Rose immediately raised their hands preparing to fight their way past the Dark One. Gold smiled and raised his own hand.

"I believe there is something here you owe me You Majesty" His smile was acidic and filled with excitement.

"You will have to kill me first Gold." Regina spat back through clenched teeth.

"Perhaps" He replied back. The sickening smile was still filling his face.


End file.
